


Farewell, Sweetheart

by Quco



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergent, Claudia is the protector of the Nemeton, Deathbed, Gen, Hospital, Hurt/Comfort, One-Shot, Other, Pre-Canon, Sad sad sad, Stiles needs to become batman, Stilinski Family Feels, child Stiles is the cutest, meta inspired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2015-02-04
Packaged: 2018-03-10 13:20:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3291785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quco/pseuds/Quco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Claudia did something horrible to save her family and now she has to say goodbye.</p><p>A short fic between Stiles and Claudia of when she's in the hospital.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Farewell, Sweetheart

The heavy axe in her hand slipped in her sweaty grasp. Claudia wiped the tears from her eyes. This was her sacrifice. She was doing this for the town, for Beacon Hills, and her family. The Nemeton had showed her the future, what would happen to the town if she didn't do this. It had been a warning. They had both agreed that this was for the best. The Nemeton needed to die, her best friend needed to die, and she wielded the tool to do so.

 

_Are you ready?_

 

Steeling her mind, ridding herself of the gruelling consequences, she focused herself on memories of her son and her husband, smiling, happy. Grabbing the axe with both hands, she stared up at the magnificent tree in front of her as more tears rolled down her red cheeks.

 

_We’re in this together. You and I._

 

She was going to destroy the Nemeton. It would be over so quickly, but not for her. Claudia knew what would happen to her. She knew what would happen with her body after this. She knew the consequences.  
Lifting the axe high, she pictured the tree shattering. She brought the weapon down at the bottom of the trunk. The explosion was imminent and painful.

 

\--

 _The branches were looming over her, reaching out, wanting to strangle her. She needed to get away, but she couldn’t move. She-_  
Claudia woke up with a start. How long had she been out? Probably not long, she hadn’t been sleeping well since she got sick. Claudia sighed and looked down at the child lying curled-up beside her on the bed. A book obscured half his face, but she knew every feature and mole by heart.  
Closing her eyes and drawing her breath, she looked over at the white hospital wall in front of her bed, but all she could see was the Nemeton and the glade surrounding it. All that had been haunting her lately was the Nemeton. She could see it clear as day, looming over her. Always watching her. Reaching out for her and waiting for her to join it. She knew it wasn't really there, but it was real enough for her.

 

_I’m coming, but give me time._

 

She looked down at her sleeping son again; he was the only one who could keep her hallucinations at bay. The book covering his face slid out of focus such that she wasn’t able to discern the title. Lifting the book off her son’s face, she stared down at him. His hair short and unkempt, his skin pale and freckled. He had refused to leave her bedside last visit. Almost as if he knew she didn’t have much time left. Trailing a finger down his cheek, she could feel the salty ridges where tears had fallen just an hour earlier. Her little boy, she didn’t want to leave him.  
Settling into the pillows again, she looked up at the tree stretching out, covering most of the ceiling with its branches. She could hear the whispers, its soothing words. Telling her everything was going to be okay, they were going to be together soon.  
She knew she was only a burnt out husk, a remnant, a ghost lingering on earth. Her soul was shattered and broken. At least she didn't feel much pain anymore. She could only wait until her body stopped working, when she would rejoin the Nemeton and she would be whole again. She could still remember that day, clear as crystal, when she had been in the clearing with the Nemeton, and she had killed her best friend.  
When Claudia had brought down the axe on the tree, her whole world had imploded. She had poured out all her energy in that one swing, and when she brought down the axe it had cost her her life. All her energy had flowed through the axe, fracturing the bark. The tree had exploded into dust in an instant. She hadn’t screamed when she inhaled the fine powder; she hadn’t screamed when her soul was ripped to shreds. She had known what was going to happen. She and the Nemeton were one. She had been its guardian, never wavering by its side. When the tree died, she would die. When the tree shattered, her soul shattered too.  
When she had finally screamed, she screamed for her family. She would never see her son grow up. Never help him choose which college to get into. She would never see the day Stiles would be old enough to move out, never see him settle down with his first love. Her family is what Claudia screamed for; the pain of losing her loved ones hurt more than any physical pain ever would. Yes, she had destroyed both herself and the Nemeton, but all that mattered to Claudia was that she would never see her son grow up.

“Mommy?” Stiles was stirring besides her, blinking at the glaringly bright hospital lights. “Mommy, are you there?”  
Grabbing hold of Stiles’ hand, Claudia smiled at him, “I’m here sweetheart, I’m right here,” she wanted to say; and I’ll never leave you. But she knew that wasn’t true.  
“I had a really scary dream of a tree swallowing you whole. It had giant teeth, it was really scary.”  
Claudia saw a very familiar pout on Stiles’ lips and she couldn’t help but chuckle. She was going to miss him. She was going to miss that pout and all his antics.  
“Really? I had a very similar dream you know, but the tree was very nice to me.”  
“Trees are just trees though,” Stiles answered and shrugged, his voice very matter of fact as he sat up in the bed.  
Claudia simply nodded. “Did you want to finish the story?” she whispered, hugging him closer with one arm and holding the book for him to take.  
“But mom,” Stiles groaned and rolled his eyes. “I did finish, didn’t you listen?” Blinking slowly, staring up at his mom with his auburn eyes, he lowered his voice as he grabbed the book, “did you have scary daylight dreams again?"  
Claudia didn’t answer, only grabbed her baby boy with both hands and buried her nose into his neck, breathing in every little bit of her son. The book fell out of Stiles’ hands and down on the floor. A gentle tap on her shoulder reminded her of her time.

 

_Soon._

 

“Mom, I can’t breathe, and that tickles!” Stiles was writhing in her arms and she loosened her hold on him.  
Stiles grinned up at his mom when she loosened her grip, such a sweet, playful smile. "I finished the book, but you weren't paying attention anymore, mommy," Stiles' tone wasn't accusing, but he did look sad. “You didn't hear anything I said to you and then I fell asleep... I'm sorry mommy…”  
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, and I’m sorry, I um…” but she didn’t need to finish her sentence.  
“I understand,” Stiles whispered and nodded gravely. Stiles didn’t smile, he just went in to hug his mom tight again.  
Claudia’s heart caught in her throat and she sniffed, blinking her eyes vigorously at the ceiling as a branch reached out to dry the tears off her cheeks. She had to explain, now or never.  
“Mommy has to go soon, sweetheart.” Claudia’s voice shook a bit and she grabbed her baby boy by the shoulders so she could look him in the eyes.  
“Go? Where do you have to go? I want you to stay here with me.” Tears started rolling down Stiles’ cheeks as soon as Claudia had finished her sentence.  
“I have to tell you something, sweetheart, and you have to listen very closely, okay?”  
Tears were falling close and fast, but Stiles nodded. He made no sound, no whimper.  
“Mommy has to go soon, somewhere you can’t follow, but you need to understand something first.”  
“I don’t want you to be alone, mommy! I don’t want you to be lonely!” Stiles interrupted and wiped his runny nose on his sleeve.  
“Oh, sweetheart, I won’t be alone, I’m going to be with a very good friend, okay? Don’t worry, but you need to listen to what I’m going to tell you now.” It was very difficult keeping her own tears from flowing freely.  
Stiles nodded and hugged his mother close once more, his small arms wrapping around her waist as Claudia wrapped her own arms around her son.  
“I am only leaving because I want to protect you and Dad, and you want Dad to be safe right?”  
Stiles nodded silently into his mom’s stomach.  
“I need you to be a brave boy, okay? I need you to protect him, make sure he’s alright, can you do that for me, Stiles?”  
Stiles nodded again, a loud sniff following. Claudia could feel his tears seeping into her hospital robe.  
“I used to be the guardian of this place, I used to guard this town and make sure everything was safe, but I can’t do that anymore, can you do that for me instead, Stiles? Can you help me protect everyone?”  
Stiles’ brown, bloodshot eyes peered up at her, most of his face obscured by Claudia’s own robes, “You mean like Batman?”  
Claudia smiled and she could feel her own tears falling now, “Yes, like Batman, I need you to be Batman, Stiles, I need you to protect this town like Batman protects Gotham, and I need you to be brave like him, okay? You will understand when you’re older.”  
Stiles nodded, but he wasn’t silent anymore. His body racked with every sob and it tore at Claudia’s heart.  
“I love you, mommy.”  
“I love you too, sweetheart, I love you too.”  
She didn’t want to leave, her arm clutched around Stiles’ small frame as she looked up in the ceiling again. She looked up at the tree only she could see. Slowly the Nemeton’s branches spread out, reaching down to her. Its branches caught onto Claudia’s robes and she smiled, her arm loosening its hold on Stiles, and soon the branches enveloped her in its safety.

 

_I’m ready._

 

A soothing melody played through the Nemeton’s branches as if it was smiling at her. Claudia smiled back as she was carried up towards her dearest friend. She and the Nemeton had always been one, and they would be one again. She knew what would have happened if the Nemeton hadn’t been cut down and she knew what would happen now that it had. When she destroyed the Nemeton she had chosen the lesser of two evils. She had protected her son, her husband, and her town. She knew the trials facing her son wouldn’t be easy, but it was the better option. She had been Beacon Hills’ Protector and Guardian. Now it was up to Stiles.  
Turning her head around, she tried to catch a last glimpse of her son, but all she could see from up in the branches was Stiles' back, shaking with each sob, as she was carried off in the Nemeton’s embrace.

 

\--

“Where is Stiles? Where is my son?”  
Stiles could hear his dad all the way down the hallway. He wanted to dry away his tears so he would appear strong, like his mom wanted, but he didn’t have the power. So there Stiles sat, his feet dangling off a waiting room chair and his head in his hands, tears and snot mixing on his face.  
His mommy had left him just a couple of minutes ago. She was still in her hospital room with a bunch of Doctors surrounding her. They had ripped him off her when the machine besides her had started to screech continuously. Stiles didn’t understand why. Why couldn’t he lie there curled up with his mommy forever? His mommy had said that she was going to leave him, but in the end, he had needed to leave her. Leave his mommy alone in a room with a bunch of strangers without him to protect her. Didn’t they understand that his mommy was weak? He needed to be there with her and he needed to hear that everything was going to be alright. His mom, however, had not answered his pleading cries.  
“Stiles?” His father ran down the hallway when he saw Stiles and stopped in front of his chair. Stiles could see his legs sway for a second before he sat down on one knee, facing Stiles and bringing their eyes to the same level forcefully with a finger under his chin.  
“Stiles, are you okay?”  
Stiles didn’t answer, he just hiccupped and flung himself around his dad’s neck. It took a few seconds, but Stiles’ was soon howling loudly and all his father did was hold him and rub his back, and Stiles was so thankful for that.

“Everything is going to be alright, Stiles.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a meta obviouslystiles.tumblr.com had which demanded to be written.  
> if you got any questions on the meta and what she thinks happened to Claudia and the Nemeton, go check her out.
> 
> you can also find me on tumblr quco.tumblr.com


End file.
